Trusting the Norns
by renovek
Summary: The Norns have never been particularly kind to Berk and no one knows that better than Gothi. Being Berk's eldest resident has given her the highly respected title of Wise Woman, but she knows she won't live forever. Her problem, however, is the Norns have deemed her successor to be Gobber's adopted daughter, a half-troll who trouble seems to have a crush on. Hic/Ast
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was early morning on the island of Berk, the sun still slumbering in the east and the land quiet. The Vikings who stood on watch were thankful for this, for it meant that all was well. With the clear sky above them, they were extra grateful: They would be able to easily spot any dragons flying towards their home. With none of their flying enemies in sight, the watchmen were able to eat an early breakfast free of worry.

Near the village's smithy, in a small house, Gobber the Belch was already awake and stoking the fire so breakfast could be made. After adding a bit of fuel to help the coals become blazing hot, he grabbed a large pan and half-tossed, half-set it on the metal grate nestled just above the ashes. A small grin came to his face when he heard a groan and the rustling of cloth behind him.

"Da', do you have t' be so loud?" A teenaged girl sat up in the hammock that hung in the back of the kitchen. Tiredly, she scratched her scalp, further disheveling her already messy hair. "I was tryin' to sleep, you know."

"Good mornin' to you, too, Thora," he chuckled, grabbing a slab of cured pork belly. "Up an' at 'em, lovely. We've got a lot o' weapons to work on today!" He started to cut it into thick slices. "Last week's dragon raid left us with quite a few bents and dents that we haven't gotten to yet!"

Yawning, Thora untangled her limbs from her blanket before crawling out of the hammock. "You mean you an' _Hiccup_ have a lot of weapons to work on today," she corrected. Grabbing a comb, she began making quick work of brushing her hair. "You told me yesterday I have t' go get you more wood for the furnaces. Not t' mention, Gothi wants me to find her some butterbur an' mugwort."

"Ah, the wood can wait awhile!" he told her, glancing over at her. Seeing that she was still combing her hair, he smirked. "Hiccup an' I can only do so much an' there are a lot o' weapons that need t' get fixed. So it's your help I'll be needin' this mornin'." He abruptly threw the knife to her, a laugh coming from his scraggly face as her eyes widened in surprise.

Thora managed catch the blade –just barely and _not_ with her hands.

"Gettin' faster with that tail o' yours every day!" he chimed, holding the pork belly out to her. With the back of his hook, he patted her on the shoulder. "That's my lovely lil' half-troll!"

Her eyes still as wide as a pair of shields and her hair half brushed, she stared at the knife's blade. "Why do ya do that!?" she suddenly cried, pointing the knife at him angrily. "What would you have done if I didn't catch the darned thing, eh? You'd be down a daughter!" Snatching the pork from his hand, she slammed it down on the table and, now wielding the cutting utensil in her hands, began to slice it. "Ya don't see me throwin' weapons at you when you're just crawlin' out of bed!" Her tail curled around the length of the comb and she once more began to brush her hair. "No, I'm normally throwin' your Odin-cursed peg-leg at you!"

Gobber shook his head, still laughing quite heartily. "Just think: One day when you're out on a raid an' you get ambushed in the middle o' the night, you'll be-"

He was interrupted by a horn blast echoing through the village. Shouting soon followed, as well as the sound of distant roars. The two of them instantly knew that their breakfast would have to become their dinner.

"Uh oh," sighed Gobber as he used his hook to scratch his chin. "Best get to the forge. We'll be needin' those weapons sooner than I thought." He scattered the coals in the hearth, dispersing their heat, before heading over to the door. Grabbing a set of horned helmets, he plunked one down on his head before putting the other on Thora and, taking her by the shoulder, began to drag her towards the door.

Before she could be led outside, she plucked her apron dress from a hook near the door. It was made of leather, but was so worn from the years of use, it had become soft and cloth-like. "So I'm not on water brigade?" she asked, a frown on her face as she tugged the garment over her head. Afterwards, she made quick work of braiding her hair into thirds.

He shook his head. "An' have the twins shove you down the well again? I think not!"

Her cheeks flared red as she sprinted to keep up with her father's lolloping gait. "I wasn't shoved _all _the way down…" she mumbled. Looking at the sky, she could see a swarm of dragons flying towards Berk; the smaller, faster beasts were already within firing distance. Grabbing Gobber's belt and pulling with all her strength, she managed to get him out of the way of an oncoming Monstrous Nightmare. "An' here you were telling me 'bout being ambushed!"

After a quick moment of realization, Gobber let out a hearty laugh and patted her on the back, almost making her stumble forward. "Ah, I knew you'd have your ol' man's back. S'what I raised you to do, after all!" He kicked open the door to the forge and tugged Thora in with him before another dragon could make an attempt on their lives. "Get t' sharpenin' those axes while I get this fire going."

Thora shook her head as she went over to the grinding wheel. "As stubborn as a yak," she muttered, pushing on the pedal to make the large stone turn. Grabbing a double-bearded ax, she began to sharpen its blade. "And for the record, the twins knocked me over the head with a bucket before they tossed me down that well, so I couldn't fight back!"

"Mhm. Sure they did." Taking up some pieces of wood with his good hand, he used the other (still with the hook attacked) to gather up the coals from last night's fire. He then started to pile moss atop them before setting some smaller logs on top of that. "You know, you really need to stand up for yourself when they start picking on you. Just because you've got a tail-"

"An' pointy ears," she added under her breath. There was an explosion just feet away from the armory, making her jump.

"-Doesn't mean you're any different than them," he concluded. Blowing on the coals, he watched as the dried wood caught fire rather quickly. "Sure, you _look _different, but you're a Hairy Hooligan! An' you're an essential part t' this village, might I add!" Pulling the hook from his stump, he switched it out for a pair of tongs. "After all, who else is willin' to go into the woods an' hunt down Gothi's herbs or lure the yaks back into the pens, hmm?"

Her brow rose as she flipped the ax over, sharpening the other side. "That's news to me. I always thought the yaks followed me because I look like 'em?" she muttered. Flicking her thumb against the blade, she found it to be sharp enough and turned it around, starting to sharpen the other blade. When someone came bursting into the forge, she didn't bother looking up; she knew who exactly it was. "Mornin', Hiccup."

"Ahh! Nice o' you to join the party!" Gobber mused, watching the lad grab a leather apron. "I thought you'd been eaten up."

Hiccup grinned innocently as he tied his apron around his back. "Who me?" he breathlessly laughed. "Nah. I'm too muscular for their tastes. They wouldn't know what to do with all…this!" He jokingly struck a pose before lifting up one of Gobber's hammer hands. With some effort, he heaved it back into its place on the hook board.

At that, Thora laughed. "Well, they do need toothpicks, don't they?" she teased, tossing the now-sharp ax onto a table across from her. Snatching up another, single headed ax, she pressed its blade to the grindstone.

"Oh, very funny," he frowned. Opening the shop windows, he started taking in the broken and dented weapons. His knees almost buckled under the sudden weight (at least fifty pounds of metal had been precariously dropped in his arms), but he gathered his strength and stood upright.

She grinned cheekily. "Rest assured I'd go after the dragon that took ya."

The left side of Gobber's brow rose. "Excuse me, young lady? Ya can hardly handle Snotlout, let alone a dragon!"

Rolling her eyes, she tossed the second ax onto the counter. "Da', I was trying to-Oh, Hiccup's tryin' to escape."

Turning towards the window, Gobber was able to see the lad starting to climb onto the counter, his gaze fixed on the group of teenagers leaving the well. Their hands were full of water-laden buckets, which they would use to douse the dragon fires. "Oh no you don't!" He grabbed Hiccup by the back of his tunic, easily hoisting him off the ground.

"Ah, come on!" begged Hiccup. "Let me out, please? I need to make my mark!"

He shook his head, plopping the teen next to his daughter. "Oh, you've made plenty of marks. An' all in the wrong places!"

"Please! Two minutes. I'll kill a dragon and my life will get infinitely better!" he pleaded, giving Gobber a most desperate look. "I might even get a date!"

Gobber shook his head in quite the fatherly manner. "Hiccup, you can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an ax…" Outside, a Gronckle was about to attack a Viking who had lost her shield. Picking up a set of bolas, Gobber spun them for a second before letting go. "You can't even throw one o' these!" he concluded as the bolas hit home, bringing down the now-bound dragon.

Thora shook her head, heading to the front of the shop to take over metal-heating duties as Hiccup darted over to a wooden contraption he had built. "Alright, fine –but this will throw it for me!" he told the smith, patting the machine. As soon as he laid his hand on its outer shell, it burst into life and Thora ducked just in time. A Viking running past, however, was not so lucky and found himself wrapped up in a pair of bolas. "Sorry!"

"See!" Gobber scolded, picking up his daughter up off the ground. "Now this right here is what I'm talking about!" He set her down near the hearth, a concerned look on his face. "You alright, Thora?"

Brushing off her own apron, she nodded. "Aye, da'." She turned her back on the two males, hoping to stay out of the way of anymore wayward bolas.

"It's just a mild calibration issue-" Hiccup started.

"Hiccup," interrupted Gobber. Thora peeked over her shoulder, not having heard Gobber so frustrated with Hiccup before. "If ya ever want t' get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all…" He sighed and motioned to the entirety of Hiccup. "This."

A frown came to Hiccup's normally cheerful face. "But you just pointed to all of me…" he retorted.

"Yes, that's it! Stop being all of you!" Gobber told him, matter-of-factly.

Doing his best to hide his hurt, Hiccup puffed out his chest; Thora, however quite visibly cringed at the words. "Ooh-"

"Ooh yes," Gobber quickly retorted, his brow furrowed.

"You, sir, are playing a dangerous game!" Hiccup continued. "Keeping this much raw…Viking-ness contained! There will be consequences!" He let out a small gasp when Gobber plopped an unsharpened broadsword in his arms.

"I'll take my chances," he simply told him. "Sword. Sharpen. _Now._"

Hiccup fell silent as he began sharpening the sword and Gobber went back to hammering away on a red-hot spearhead. Thora glanced between the two males and sighed, grabbing a length of leather rope and tossing it into a pot of water. Outside, the chaos seemed to be getting worse, drawing Gobber's attention. What caught all their attentions, though, was a high pitched scream coming from the sky.

"Night Fury!" someone outside shouted. "Get down!" Outside, everyone ducked down, holding shields and arms over their heads. Seconds after, there was a loud explosion and, from where they stood, the smith and his apprentices watched as one of the catapult towers was blown to smithereens.

"Man the fort, Hiccup!" ordered Gobber. He pulled the hook from his stump and instead grabbed one of his 'thumping hands' as he called them, locking it into place. "They need me out there!" Turning, he started to leave, but quickly turned back and pointed at the teens. "Stay. Put. There…Oh, you know what I mean! Thora, keep an eye on him, will you?" And with that, he went, shouting, out into the fray.

Thora shook her head and picked up the cauldron. As she set it over the coals, she threw a quick glance over her shoulder, checking on Hiccup. Her brow rose as she wiped her hands on her dress; Hiccup was quickly resetting his contraption, loading a second batch of bolas into it.

"You know, I'm running out of excuses as to how I managed t' let you escape," she told him as she leaned against the wall.

Hiccup looked up at her, wearing a look that could only be described as cheeky innocence. "Me? Escape? I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about!"

Crossing her arms, she gave him a knowing look. "Æsir help me, Hiccup…" Shaking her head, she let out a sigh of mock defeat before giving the pot of now-steaming water a good knock with her elbow. It went crashing to the floor, a cloud of steam rising into the air as water doused the coals. "Oh, no!" She feigned a look of horror and casually kicking over a workbench as she wandered through the shop. Tools scattered all over the floor; some even fell off the wall when the bench fell against it. "A Nadder tried to shove its spiny head in here and eat us!" She plucked up a mace and, with a bit of a grunt, tossed it towards the wall, watching as its spikes made it stick fast into the wall. "I was so busy trying to get it out of here, I didn't notice ya slip away in the chaos!" As a final touch, she grabbed a handful of the ashen sludge and smeared it on her face and arms.

Standing up, machine in hand, Hiccup gave her a thankful look. "And this is why you're my favorite demi-cousin!" he grinned before running out through the cloud of steam.

"I'm you're _only _demi-cousin!" she shouted after him. Shaking her head, she turned around and observed the mess she had made. "Ah man…I'm going to have t' clean this up later…"

A gust of hot, fish-and-sulfur-scented air unexpectedly blew away the steam and Thora found herself standing face-to-face with a Deadly Nadder.

Her face paled under the sludge and her eyes widened. "Great Odin's Ghost…"

The Nadder cocked its head and lightly fluttered its wings, focusing its gaze on her as it crept forward. Swallowing hard, she started to back away from the dragon while groping around for any sort of weapon. Thanks to the mess she had made, however, they were all out of reach of even her tail.

The Nadder let out a squawk and flapped its wings angrily as Thora tumbled backwards, having tripped over the cauldron. It was as she fell back she noticed the true source of the Nadder's intrigue: Her tail. Propping herself upright, she tested her theory by slowly moving her tail from left to right. The dragon followed its path with a large, yellow eye.

Thora gulped. "Oh no…Please no…" She moved her tail once more to be sure; the dragon moved as well. "By Freya's grace, really!?"

Scrambling to her feet, she took the dragon by surprise when she darted between its legs. It spun around, tail knocking shelves and weapons from the wall, and took chase. Even though Thora had had a head start, the dragon was soon within nipping range of that wily tail of hers.

"Thora! What in Odin's name are you doin'?" someone shouted as she ran through the village.

"Running for my life!" she cried, darting between a pair of burning houses. She was hoping to reach the edge of the village, where she knew Gobber would be helping to keep the sheep safe.

Risking a glance over her shoulder, Thora found that the Deadly Nadder had disappeared. A breathless, yet relieved, sigh left her mouth and she slowed her pace, eventually coming to a stop and doubling over. Around her, the battle was still going strong and, above her, a shadow suddenly appeared. Staring at the shape on the ground, she let out a groan before being snatched up by the tail.

The Deadly Nadder let out an amused squawk as it tossed the girl into the air. Catching her by the collar of her dress, it happily tossed her into the air again. Of course, to Thora, it didn't seem so much amusing as it did terrifying. On her second descent, she managed to turn herself around and grab hold of the dragon's nasal horn.

"Hey, look! Thora's about to get eaten by that dragon!" someone shouted.

"Awesome! Can we give it Snotlout, too?" came someone else.

Cursing under her breath, Thora clung tight to the Nadder's horn as it snapped its head back, trying to toss her once more. When she didn't go flying like before, it let out an annoyed chirp before flicking its head back with more force. Thora squeaked and clung tighter, looking around for anything or anyone that could help her.

A couple yards away, she could see the source of the voices cheering on the dragon: Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston. She knew full well the twins were rooting for the Deadly Nadder to eat her and quickly figured they wouldn't help her. Another flick of the Nadder's head nearly lifted her off the horn, but she managed to stay on.

It was when she was about to throw herself towards one of the houses that the air around her legs started to get hotter. Aggravated by its toy refusing to cooperate, the Nadder got ready to breathe its fire. Knowing she would be roasted alive otherwise, Thora wrapped her tail around a few of its bottom teeth and shoved off from its snout. She swung under its mouth just as a stream of fire was spewed forth.

Turning its head this way and that, the Deadly Nadder looked for any sign of the girl. Finding nothing but a black scorch mark on the earth, it took off into the air.

Thora, however, had been safely on the ground, crouching under the dragon with her partially-burnt tail clutched between her hands. "Oh that hurts, that really hurts!" she muttered before blowing on the smoking hair. Out of nowhere, a bucketful of water was dumped over her; while her tail felt better, the rest of her was not amused.

And then the second bucket splashed over her.

"Really?" she grumbled, looking up at the pair of blonde teens.

"What?" Ruffnut snickered. "You were on fire."

"Yeah!" agreed Tuffnut as they started to walk away. "We were just doing our jobs."

Rolling her eyes, she stood up and was starting to wring out her dress when something plucked her off the ground yet again. "I swear on Odin's underpants, you stupid dragon, if you don't put me down-"

"An' just what is it ya plan on doin', wee lassie?" Gobber demanded, the left side of his brow raised in mock amusement. With his good hand on his hip, he held his ax-hand up so that he looked Thora in the eye. Her cheeks were dark red with embarrassment. "Thanks to you, Hiccup got away an' caused quite a bit o' chaos!" With his daughter still dangling from his weapon, he started to walk off.

She frowned, trying to wriggle herself off the axe. "It's not my fault, da'! There was a Nadder that tried t' eat me!"

He nodded, turning his head this way and that as he surveyed the damage done to the village. "Oh, I know. I heard your scream from the docks. Made me run all the way up here an' what do I find? The smithy messed up, Hiccup gone, and you missin'. You know what I didn't find? _A Deadly Nadder_."

Thora frowned. "There _was _a Deadly Nadder, da'!" She thrust her tail into his face. "Look at that burnt hair! Do ya think I did that on my own?"

"Asks the lassie who's burnt her tail many a time in the forge?" came his sarcastic retort.

Rolling her eyes, she let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, don't believe the one who nearly got eaten…" Crossing her arms, she wrapped her tail around her waist and looked around Berk. Even though the dragons were gone, there were still plenty of fights to be had –mostly in the form of wrangling terrified sheep or putting out house fires.

Gobber finally set her down in front of the forge. "You best start cleanin' up that mess in there. I need t' go check on Hiccup to see if he finally got himself killed or not." Turning, he started to walk off only to turn around and point at her. "An' don't go thinkin' you're gettin' off without punishment, either!"

She groaned as he lolloped off and, leaning against the doorframe, thumped her head back against the wooden doorframe. Peering around at the mess that had been made by both her and the dragon, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Why doesn't he believe me?" she murmured, pushing some wet strands of hair from her face. Forcing herself to enter the building, she started gathering up the fallen weapons, being careful to not cut herself on the ones that had been sharpened.

* * *

The mead hall was full of people. Stoick stood at the head of the table, his hands on either side of a large map. Gobber stood off to his right, his drinking arm attached to his stump. Lightly shaking his head, Gobber took a long drink of ale from the tankard as Stoick tried to gather his people's courage.

"Either we finish them or they'll finish us!" he decreed. "It's the only way we'll be rid of them." Pointing down at the map, he motioned to the top left corner, where it had been left uncharted. "If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave! They'll have to find another home!" He slammed dagger down through the velum, earning a gleeful cheer from the people.

Standing upright, he looked around. "One more search," he told them. "Before the ice sets in."

The crowd fell quiet, their fear and trepidation heavily obvious.

"Those ships never come back," someone dared to argue.

Sending a half-glare at the speaker, Stoick raised his brow. "We're _Vikings_. It's an occupational hazard. Now…Who's with me?"

Various murmured excuses echoed through the hall as most everyone shrank back from their angry chief. His brow rising, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Alright," he began, "those who stay will look after Hiccup!" he instead offered. A smirk appeared under his beard as everyone instantaneously raised their hands, volunteering. Some even went as far as shouting out their desire to go on the quest. He loved his son dearly, but Stoick knew first-hand just how much of a hassle Hiccup was to watch over –let alone raise.

Gobber spun around on the bench as the other Vikings started to file out of the hall to go ready their belongings. "Great," he mused. "I'll pack my undies."

Stoick shook his head and set his hand on his shoulder. "No. I need you to stay and train some new recruits."

At that, Gobber cocked his brow. "Oh, perfect. And while I'm busy, Hiccup and Thora can cover the stall. Molten steel, razor-sharp blades, lots o' time t' themselves…What could possibly go wrong?" He took another drink from his tankard, rolling his eyes behind its brim.

Stoick let out a heavy sigh and hopelessly shook his head. "What am I going to do with him, Gobber?" he quietly asked.

His brow still lifted, Gobber studied his friend for a long while before answering. "Put him in training with the others," he answered.

Frowning, Stoick shot him a glare. "No, Gobber. I'm serious."

"So am I." He stared Stoick down, waiting for Stoick to admit defeat.

After some minutes, he finally closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "He'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of its cage," he quietly told the blacksmith.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, you don't know that!" His eyes widened as his false, stone tooth popped out of his mouth, disappearing into his mug.

"I do know that, actually." Getting to his feet, he began to pace in front of the tapestry as Gobber tried to find his missing tooth at the bottom of his mug.

"No, you _don't._" Swirling the mug around, he only succeeded in creating a bit of foam.

"No, actually, I _do_."

"_No you don't!_" Scrunching his nose up somewhat, Gobber tried to finish his ale in one gulp, but there was too much left in the bottom of the mug for one swallow.

Stoick shook his head. "Listen! You know what he's like. From the time he could crawl, he's been…different. He doesn't listen." Looking up at the tapestry, he let out a quiet sigh; depicted on the cloth was a mighty Viking slaying a dragon. "He has the attention span of a sparrow…I take him fishing and he goes hunting for—for trolls!"

Gobber raised his brow; for now he wouldn't remind the chief that his daughter was half-troll. "They exist," he told him instead. "The full-blooded ones like t' steal your socks. But only the left ones…what's with that?"

"When I was a boy-" began the chief.

"Oh no…here we go…" Gobber muttered under his breath.

"-My father told me to bang my head against a rock and I did it." He continued pacing, his eyes fixed on the stone floor. "I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And you know what happened?"

Finding the tooth, he put it back in his gum and gave it a few light taps to secure it back into place. "You got a headache?" came his sarcastic retort.

He ignored the response. "That rock split in two." He looked up, a reminiscent smile under his beard. "It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber! He could crush mountains, level forests –tame the seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become." A heavy sigh left his mouth and he turned to his friend. "Hiccup is _not _that boy," he quietly admitted.

"You can't stop him, Stoick. You can only prepare him." Standing up, Gobber went over to him and set his hand on his shoulder, a pitying look on his face. He knew the turmoil that Stoick had to be going through –after all, they practically raised their children together. "Look, I know it seems hopeless –I mean, Thora's practically the same way. But the truth o' the matter is you _won't _always be around t' protect him. He's goin' t' get out there again. Odin's beard, he's probably out there now!"

Rubbing his face, Stoick gave a small nod. "You're right," he murmured. "I'll put Hiccup in dragon training…You'll watch over him, won't you?"

"O' course I will! The lad's all but family by this point, after all." He beamed almost proudly. "Anyway, someone's got t' keep him from gettin' picked on by the others."

Nodding in understanding, Stoick returned his smile, albeit half-heartedly. "And what of Thora? Are you going to put her in dragon training? She could use it after her run-in with that Nadder this morning."

Gobber thoughtfully scratched his chin. "Huh, so there really was a Nadder, eh?" he murmured, more to himself than to Stoick.

"You didn't see it tossing her around like a sack of fish?" Stoick questioned, his own brow rising. "I would have helped her, but I had a Nightmare to deal with."

"Huh. Well, I guess I owe her a wee apology then…" He scratched the back of his neck. "An', aye, I guess I'll be puttin' her in dragon training, though…" He scrunched his nose up.

Stoick let out a small, sarcastic laugh. "Oh, so you'll convince me to put _my _son in harm's way t' fight dragons, and yet you won't do the same for your daughter? Now that's Loki calling the fox sly!"

Gobber frowned and lightly shook his mug-hand at the chief. "Now you know as well as I that it's not because I'm worried 'bout her fighting the dragons!" he scolded. "After all, it was you an' me that taught her an' Hiccup how to fight –not that they _use _that knowledge much, mind you- but it's because…ah…well, Gothi!"

Stoick's brow rose. "Gothi?" He could tell Gobber was trying to come up with an excuse off the top of his head. "What about Gothi?"

He puffed his chest out in indignation. "Aye, Gothi! I've been thinkin' lately how the ol' gal is gettin' up there in years." His brow rose slightly when he watched Stoick lean over, peering at something behind him. "The poor thing can't move around like she used to an', what with Thora havin' a tail 'n all, well…Gothi could take her on as an apprentice!"

"You know, Gobber," Stoick suddenly grinned, "that's a wonderful idea!"

Gobber blinked, taken aback. "It…It is?"

"Of course it is!" Stoick gave him a hearty thump on the back. "After all, think about how much more useful she'd be as a healer than in the shop! She can make potions, put organs back inside people's stomachs, hunt for herbs-"

"That one she already does-"

"And let's not forget the most important task of a healer! She'll join the warriors on the battlefield! After all, someone's got to fight off the Valkyries for a wee bit longer, eh, Gobber?" He gave his friend a playful nudge with his elbow. "Why, I think she'd be a fantastic healer! Don't you, Gothi?"

Gobber, already having paled slightly, turned as white as a ghost. Slowly rotating around, he found the frail-looking wise woman behind him. She wore a contemplative look as she lightly scratched her chin, her gaze skywards. After a moment, she hobbled over to the table where she dumped the contents of a small pouch on the wooden surface. Leaning over, the two men could see that it had contained various chicken bones.

Silently, Gobber prayed that the Norns did not have such a fate planned for his daughter. It wasn't that he didn't want Gothi to have an apprentice; being the village's healer and wise woman was just as important as being chief, after all. It was merely that he had hoped she would follow in his blacksmithing footsteps –that, and he wasn't fond of the idea of Thora having someone else's life in her hands.

Gothi looked up, having interpreted the chicken bones, and smiled at the two men.

Stoick patted Gobber on the back. "Well, would you look at that? The chicken bones agree!"

"Great…Just what this village needs. A clumsy girl in charge o' stitching wounds an' birthin' babies," he murmured. He flinched as Gothi thwacked him upside the head with her staff. "Ouch! Now what was that for?"

The elderly woman glared at him before using her staff to write in the ashes of the fire. Leaning over, Stoick silently interpreted the strange hieroglyphs before chuckling quietly.

"She says not to be so upset –the fates say that she is a worthy apprentice and you should be proud," he explained to Gobber. "And she also says that if you didn't want her to be a healer, then you shouldn't have wagged your gob in the first place."

With a sigh, Gobber nodded in defeat. "Well, I guess I better go home an' get ready t' tell her the news…"

* * *

"Come on, there has to be _some _mugwort left in this forest…"

Thora flicked a lock of hair out of her face as she slid down the side of a boulder. As her feet touched the ground, she lightly fell onto her knees, starting to inspect the plants growing at the rock's base. With a frown, she soon stood up and continued on her way, still keeping a lookout for the elusive plant.

'Of _course _the butterbur had to be easy to find,' she thought, hopping over a fallen log. 'And the angelica in bountiful supply…but no, it had to be the mugwort that's hardest to find. Normally it's so easy to spot!' She paused in her steps, her brow rising thoughtfully.

"I haven't harvested _all _of it, have I?" she muttered to herself. Cringing at the thought, she started to walk once more. "I better not have, elsewise Gothi's going to curse my hide for sure…"

As she ventured around another large boulder, she let out a yelp and stumbled back as she nearly ran into someone –Hiccup, to be exact. He, too, cried out and threw himself back, having also been startled.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Hiccup watched as she pushed herself upright. "Ah, geeze –sorry about that, Thora," he apologized. He grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be out here…After all, this isn't exactly near the logging road…"

Brushing herself off, Thora glanced up at him. "An' just why are _you _out here? The forest isn't normally a place you frequent."

"Oh, you know…just…hiding from my father's wrath," he replied, forcing a laugh. "After this morning, I've been thinking of building a nice little house out here so I can spare him the shame."

"Why, what happened?" she inquired, brows furrowed as she flicked her hair out of her face again.

At that, Hiccup raised his brow. "You…didn't hear?"

She shook her head. "No. All the adults have been in the Great Hall all day, so if something happened…" She shrugged.

"Oh. Well, you know. The usual. I got into a bit of trouble and dad had to bail me out…" He kicked at a rock on the ground, wincing when it didn't move. "And I may have helped in the destruction of one of the torches…"

Thora cringed and gave him a pitying look. "That was all you, huh?"

"Well, I had some help –in the form of a Monstrous Nightmare." He lightly shrugged, a cheerless smile on his face. "You really didn't hear about any of that?" As Thora started to walk, he followed alongside her.

She shook her head. "No. Turns out, I ended up getting tossed around by a Deadly Nadder," she explained. "An', of course, da' didn't believe me, even though my tail got singed." Scrunched her nose up, she raised her tail up and checked the end of it.

"Wait, I thought the Nadder was just an excuse for letting me run off…?" he questioned, giving her a confused look.

"It was _supposed _t' be an excuse, but Loki saw fit t' humble me and threw a real one at me." Her eyes widened as she saw a familiar, short green bush ahead of them. "Finally! Mugwort!" Darting forward, she knelt down on the ground and began to gently dig into the ear around the plant's base.

"How did you not get eaten, though?" Grabbing a stick, Hiccup used it to help Thora dig the roots out of the ground. "I mean, it was my dad who stopped the Nightmare…"

"Well, I almost got roasted," she admitted, "but I hid under it at the last second. I guess it thought it had killed me an' flew off." There was a small smile on her face as she scooped the mugwort out of the ground. Holding it up with her tail, she used her fingers to detangle its roots from the clumps of dirt and rock that they still held onto. "The twins saw it all happen, but naturally, they weren't there when da' found me.

"Eugh. Sorry to hear that." He once more helped her to her feet and held her bag open so she could carefully place the plant inside. "What's the mugwort for, by the way? Is Gobber trying one of his cooking experiments?"

Thora stuck her tongue out at the thought. "Gods above, no!" she chuckled. "It's for Gothi. She needed some butterbur, angelica, an' mugwort for her medicines." Adjusting her bag, she glanced at the canopy above them. "We should probably get back t' the village…It'll be dark soon an' you don't want t' be out here when it's dark." She started to lead Hiccup off once more.

"Why? What's so scary about the forest at night?" he asked with a genuine laugh.

"For starters, the wild boars," she told him, "not t' mention there's always the chance o' getting snatched up by a dragon." She lightly hopped over a mossy rock. "An' you can't forget the landvættir."

His brow rose as he stepped on, then over, the same rock. "Oh, come on –you know as well as me my dad has chased away any dragons that may have made their home on Berk."

"You never know. I mean, a Changewing could be starin' at us right now and we wouldn't know it." For the third time, she shoved her hair out of her face and, with some frustration, started to braid it back.

Shaking his head, Hiccup let out a small laugh. "Ah, I still think we'd be fine. After all, who knows the woods better than us? No one." He gave her a small smile. "It's the consequences of running away from the twins and our dads so much."

"Truer words have never come from your mouth before," she teased. Starting to climb a wall of boulders, she made sure to keep her bag tucked behind her so the plants wouldn't get damaged.

Hiccup frowned, trying to find the foot-and-handholds that Thora was using. For the most part, the bottommost rock seemed to have a surface that had been worn smooth by years of Berk's harsh, wet winters. He blinked, taken aback when her hand suddenly appeared before his face.

"Come on," she told him, giving her hand a slight wiggle. "There's a spot to put your foot right there, see? By the moss. There you go." As he stepped up and grabbed her hand, she helped pull him the rest of the way up the boulder.

"I'll never know how you can find those footholds," Hiccup panted when they had reached the very top of the pile. "I could have sworn there were none!" Doubling over, he rested his hands on his knees.

She chuckled and lightly patted him on the back. "I climb things more than you. Sometimes, it's the only way to get away from-" She broke off, seeing a pair of figures coming down the path. "…Ruffnut and Tuffnut…" she groaned.

Hiccup looked up only to close his eyes in displeasure. "Do you think they'll see us if we head back down the hill?" he murmured.

Tuffnut suddenly spotted them and grinned. "Hey, look –it's Berk's two biggest losers!"

"Too late," muttered Thora.

"What are you two dweebs doing out here?" Ruffnut demanded, wearing a smirk that matched her twin's grin. "Looking for more Night Furies to take down?"

Straightening up, Hiccup rolled his eyes and let out a sarcastic laugh. "Ha, ha…very funny guys. You two are just a riot…"

Thora shook her head and, grabbing Hiccup's shoulder, started to guide him away. "C'mon, Hiccup –we've bigger things to worry about than those two."

"What, like being breakfast for a Deadly Nadder?" Tuffnut snorted. "Gotta admit, it was awesome watching it toss you around like that. Thought for sure you would be a goner!"

Ruffnut nudged him with her elbow. "It did light her on fire, though," she cackled. "Lit her tail up like a candle!"

"You know what would be more awesome? If you left us alone so we could get back to our hunt," Hiccup grumbled, looking away.

The twins gave them an odd look. "…You two were _hunting_?" questioned Ruffnut. "For what?"

At that, Hiccup realized his mistake with his wording. "Ah…well, we were hunting…Octopus!"

Tuffnut's brow rose. "Uh…Octopus live in the ocean. Gee, I thought _everyone _knew that?"

"Not…the Great…Tree Octopus of Berk!" Thora retorted. "As its name states, it lives in the trees!"

The twins looked dumbfounded –not that the look was out of the ordinary on them. "The…Great Tree Octopus of Berk?" Tuffnut repeated.

Hiccup nodded, giving them a wary look. "What…you've never heard of it?"

"Of course we have!" Ruffnut snapped, crossing her arms. "I mean…who hasn't heard of it? …Alright, we haven't."

"Spill the beans! What is it?" Tuffnut demanded.

"Only a creature that's far more dangerous than a dragon and twice as hard to catch," Thora casually informed. She looked at her nails in a bored fashion. "Rumor has it that if you were to catch it and cut off one of its tentacles, you'd…ah…you'd…" Glancing over at Hiccup, she gave him a pleading look.

"You'd be granted the ability to tame dragons!" he quickly threw out.

Their brows slowly rising, the twins looked at one another. "And…how do you find this…tree octopus?" Ruffnut slowly asked, hoping that her brother wouldn't catch on.

Hiccup shrugged. "Well, first you've got to find the right sort of tree." He motioned at the trees around them. "They don't like these sorts of trees. They like…ah…they like the ones that hang over the water. You know, so they can hunt for fish and—hey, where are you going?" The twins had suddenly taken off at a run.

Thora snickered as the two blondes disappeared from sight. "I can't believe that actually worked!"

A sigh of relief left Hiccup's mouth. "Yeah, me neither…So let's get out of here before they realized we were lying."

The two of them started to follow the path that would take them back to the village.

"It'll let them tame dragons, huh?" Thora mused after a few minutes. "Where'd you come up with a power like that?"

Again, he shrugged. "Oh, you know…just came out of nowhere, I guess."

Little under an hour later found Thora ascending the boardwalk that led to Gothi's house. She covered her mouth as she yawned; it had been a long day and she expected it to only grow longer once she got home. She had some form of unjust punishment to look forward to, after all.

'What could be more exciting?' she thought, glancing at the sky. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon. 'Wonder what it'll be this time? Polishing dad's axes? Re-shingling the roof? Washing his laundry…?' She cringed and stuck her tongue out at the final thought. 'Please, not laundry…'

As she reached the door, she lightly knocked on it while flipping the lid of her bag open. She was in the midst of gathering the herbs when the little Viking woman opened the door, giving the girl a warm smile.

"Hello, Thora," she spoke. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, making it almost impossible for most people to hear her. "Have you brought my herbs?"

Nodding, she carefully pulled the plants from her bag and held them out to Gothi. "I wasn't sure what parts ya wanted, so I just brought the whole thing. Is that alright?" Before she could hand the herbs over, Gothi was ushering her inside her home.

"Of course, of course," Gothi replied, sitting the girl down on a stool. "Almost all parts of these three are usable, whether it's in medicine or in food. Ahh, they seem to be fine specimens, too!" Taking the plants from her, she carefully inspected them. "I take it you have yet to see your father then?" She ran her fingers through the roots of the angelica.

"No…I came straight here after gettin' out o' the forest." She curiously cocked her head, watching as the elderly Viking laid the plants out on her table before hobbling across the building to a small, wooden chest. "Should I have?"

"Oh, no –it's quite alright. It merely means that I get to tell you the news first." She dug through the chest, searching in earnest for something. "Tomorrow, most of the village is leaving on an expedition to find the Dragon's Nest-"

"Again?" she frowned. "But haven't the previous ones come back fruitless?" Using her tail, she closed her bag and scooped it into her lap so it wasn't in the way.

Finding what she was searching for, Gothi nodded and began to walk back to her. "But you need not concern yourself with that; your father is staying to train new recruits in the dragon arena." She held out an ancient-looking book to Thora. "You, however, will need to study this –and study it well, child! Someday, you must have everything in its pages memorized."

Her brow rising, Thora cautiously took the book from her and opened it to a random page. She was met by a dried plant and a wealth of information regarding its various parts, their uses, and any dangers associated with it. Flipping to a different page, she found the same thing –but for a different plant.

"Why…why will I need t' have this memorized?" she asked, turning through more of the pages. She was surprised by how well the book had preserved the plants; she would have expected them to wither and rot.

Gothi smiled, her eyes nearly disappearing behind layers of wrinkles. "Gobber and I have agreed that I will take you on as my apprentice."

Thora's jaw fell slack and the look on her face was a mixture of shock and confusion. Gothi's smile remained, however, and she took the book from her, closing it. Thora shook her head and leaned back from the old woman when she set the book on her lap.

"I-I can't be a healer," she stammered.

"And why not?"

She motioned to all of herself. "Look at me! I'm a smith's daughter. I was raised t' hammer metal an' carve stone-"

"And yet, when I read the bones –which you will learn to do, by the by-, they told me you would do well as my successor," Gothi gently interrupted. She then took Thora's hands in her own, giving her a reassuring smile. "You need to have more confidence in yourself! You are already able to identify some of the most important medicinal plants. When I was your age, I could hardly tell wormwood from tarragon!"

Her tail nervously swishing behind her, Thora found herself unable to look the elder in the eye. "Only because ya taught me what they look like."

"And I will teach you even more as time passes. What I cannot teach you lays within the pages of that book." Again, she smiled, though she was unable to stop herself from following the movements of Thora's tail. Lightly shaking her head, she patted the top of the girl's hand before stepping back and helping her to stand. "You begin tomorrow, by the by. I'd like you here by midmorning."

Slowly nodding, Thora tucked the book away in her bag, still unsure about the whole thing. "Is…is there anything I need t' bring with me?"

"Just yourself and that book." Following behind Thora, she stood in the doorway as the girl made to leave. "Oh, and Thora?"

She turned, her head cocked.

"You've got Stoick's blessing. Don't let him down."

Her cheeks reddening, Thora hurried down the boardwalk. 'Why did Uncle Stoick, of all people, give me his blessing? He knows as well as anyone else that I'll probably screw up…If anything, he should have been the one arguing _against _my becoming Gothi's apprentice…' Shaking her head, she found herself entering the village proper –and it was eerily quiet.

"Probably readying themselves for the hunt," she murmured under her breath.

Walking through the center of town, she could hear the quiet murmurings of various folk as they went about their business in their homes. Nothing was discernable; it was like she was standing near a beehive –all noise and no words.

'Gods, please let them return safely,' she prayed as she hurried down the hill. The sun was disappearing behind the western horizon and a chill wind had picked up. 'And please let winter stay away for another month at the least –I haven't gathered enough firewood yet!'

"There ya are," Gobber chirped when she finally made it home. "What took ya so long?" He stirred a pot containing something that Thora guessed to be their dinner.

"Had to stop by Gothi's," she replied, taking off her helmet. Hanging it by the door, she also shrugged off her satchel and her apron dress, both joining her helmet on the wooden pegs.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Gobber gave her an awkward smile. "Then, ah, I guess ya've already heard the news, huh?" Using his hook, he picked up a chunk of chicken breast –bone and all- and tossed it into the pot.

'I wish he would cut those things before cooking them,' she thought, pulling the book from her bag. "Aye. Apparently, starting tomorrow, I'm goin' to be her apprentice. Who would o' thought, huh?" She gave him a tired smile before going over to her hammock.

With a small laugh, Gobber stirred the pot once more. "Well, I'll admit it was a wee bit o' my fault…" He then dipped his hook into a bowl of vinegar, giving it a good wipe down.

"Oh? How so?" Crawling into the hammock, she curled her tail around her torso and cracked open the book, resting it on her knees. "She said the bones told her t' pick me."

"Well, they did," he admitted, "but only after I told Stoick I was goin' t' ask her to make you her apprentice instead o' puttin' you in dragon trainin' with the other teenagers."

Her brow rose and she glanced over at her father, watching as he poured a bit of vinegar over the cutting board. "…Ya mean I almost got the chance t' fight dragons?" she dryly interrogated. "Why do I have t' be a healer instead? You _raised _me t' be a warrior!"

"Well, you see…" He looked away, trying to seem innocent as he scratched the back of his neck with his hook. "Ah…I just…You just…Well, the fact o' the matter is that you're goin' t' be Gothi's apprentice instead o' a warrior. There's nothin' wrong with that, either!"

She sat up, giving him an unimpressed look as she closed the book. "Da'. Why didn't ya want me t' fight dragons?" Crossing her arms, she unblinkingly stared at him as wiped down the cutting board.

Gobber let out a heavy sigh as he plopped down on a stool. "You an' Hiccup are too much alike, Thora," he finally confessed. "If the two o' ya are in a dangerous situation together –such as this morning, for example-, the outcome is usually one o' the least favorable ones an' I just can't watch over _both _o' ya if you're fightin' dragons with five other teens."

"This mornin' wasn't my fault, though! There was a _dragon _keepin' me from watching Hiccup. If ya put me in dragon trainin'-"

"An' I understand that, love!" he assured her. "Stoick told me 'bout the whole thing, by the way. You're not in trouble anymore. But the fact remains that you are goin' to be a healer." Reaching over, he set his hand on her shoulder. "There's no shame in tendin' t' the wounded, Thora. If anythin', in the comin' weeks, we're goin' to need all the healin' we can get. I'm sure you'll still get t' see a bit o' the action while learnin' about plants an' medicines." He gave her a crooked, yet, reassuring smile. "You're not mad at your ol' man, are ya?"

Sighing, she slunk back down in her bed. "No," she mumbled. She hated to admit it, but she knew Gobber was right: She and Hiccup would simply be too much for him to handle when he also had to worry about the Thorston twins, and Snotlout Jorgenson. 'Astrid,' she thought, 'will surely be at the top of the class, though…And Fishlegs won't do too bad. He already knows a lot about dragons…'

Standing up, Gobber ruffled her hair. "Good! Now tha' that's out o' the way, I should let ya get back to you're studyin'. After all, we don't need ya accidentally poisoning someone when you were supposed t' be cleanin' their wounds!" He let out a hearty laugh and left her be, retreating to the back of the house where his room was.

Thora rolled her eyes and once more set the book atop her knees. "With my luck? That's exactly what _will _happen…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Thora awoke with a start. She wasn't quite sure what had awakened her; the house was quiet, still, and dark. Letting her eyes fall closed again, she started to drift back into sleep's sweet embrace –until there was a clatter and the sound of someone cursing. Bolting upright, she barely noticed when the book of medicine fell down her chest as she peered through the dim light.

"Hiccup?" she quietly called out.

"Mornin', Thora," came his nervous reply.

"Frigg's girdle, Hiccup, what're you doin' here?" Slipping out of her hammock, she went over to the hearth and stirred up the coals. As the coals grew hot once more, their dim light safely guided Hiccup towards the hearth.

He gave her a tired, yet innocent, grin. "Well, with my dad gone, I've been told I have to eat breakfast here to make sure I don't burn the house down," he quietly chuckled. "I didn't mean to wake you; you and Gobber are normally up by now…"

She shrugged, grabbing some twigs and bits of moss before beginning to rebuild the fire. "Be thankful you woke me –ya know how bad da's cooking can be." She smirked as Hiccup cringed. "Not that mine's much better, mind you."

"Of all the times I ate here, I can honestly say that your food is far more edible than his." He filled his arms with logs from the wood box and carried them over to her. "I haven't the slightest idea how you managed to go all these years without losing a tooth or getting sick from his cooking."

"Must be the troll in me. Da' says they can eat almost anythin' without trouble. That's not t' say I _want _t' eat almost anythin' –unless, o' course, Ylva Thorston made it."

At that, Hiccup quickly nodded in agreement. "Oh, man –she has the _best _honey cakes. And her barley bread!" He rubbed his stomach while wearing a silly smile. "The only thing she's ever made that _didn't_ come out good was the twins!"

She snorted, unwittingly breathing in some of the stirred up ashes. As she coughed, she still managed to giggle while Hiccup piled wood atop the small flames. "I think that's the first time I've heard ya ever make a real insult," she told him when her coughing mostly subsided.

"What can I say? I'm too nice a guy to do that regularly." He gave her an innocent smile and patted her on the back as she coughed again. "You alright?"

"Fine," she wheezed. "Just remind me t' not laugh when I'm tryin' t' build a fire." Shoving her tangled hair out of her face, she used her tail to grab the cooking grate. "So, I hear you're goin' t' start dragon trainin' today."

He frowned and glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah…Against my will, mind you." Half-heartedly, he picked up a twig and looked it over before tossing it into the fire.

"Oh? Yesterday you were ready an' willin' t' go out and kill dragons." Taking the grate in her hands, she set it near the fire for when the coals were ready for cooking. "What happened t' change your mind?" Her tail then grabbed one of the cast-iron pans.

Shrugging, he moved to start slicing some bacon. "I don't know…yesterday was just…You know. Embarrassing. It kind of proved that I'm a horrible excuse of a Viking." He shrugged again when Thora looked over at him.

Inspecting the inside of the pan for any crumbs left over from the last meal, she set it, too, on the hearth. "Ya can't let one bad fight dictate your status as a Viking, Hiccup," she lightly scolded. "I mean, you're the chief's son –tha' alone makes ya destined for some sort o' greatness."

He gave her a long, unimpressed look, which she ignored. "I think if I were destined for greatness, I'd be a bit beefier and less prone to screwing up…"

It was Thora's turn to give him a look before reaching over and tapping his head. "You've got brains, Hiccup. Smart ones. Bein' great isn't just 'bout bein' big and tough. If that were so, Thor would be king o' the Æsir, not Odin." Standing upright, she moved to check the larder for any other breakfast foods. "Anyway, would ya rather look the way ya look now, or would you rather look more like Snotlout?"

"Personally? I'd rather look like myself, only with muscles," he mumbled.

"You'd look weird with muscles," Thora called from the back of the storeroom.

"Thanks. That's _just _what I wanted to hear." With a sigh, he slouched forward and started to scoop the hottest coals out of the fire with a small, iron shovel. He piled them up near the stone hearth before flattening them into an even layer and laying the grate overtop.

Coming out of the storeroom, her arms laden with food, Thora sat down beside Hiccup. "Look –you're not the only scrawny teen in Berk," she told him. "In fact, if ya haven't noticed, only Snotlout an' Fishlegs aren't twiggy." Setting a bowl of eggs down with her hands, she put the pan on the grate while her tail placed a jug of liquid next to the eggs. "You, me, the twins, an' even Astrid are pretty lackin' in the muscle area."

"Says the girl who can lift me with ease," he mumbled under his breath. He winced as she thwacked him with her tail. "Ouch!"

"Stop complain'. At least ya get t' learn t' fight dragons," she sighed, taking the strips of bacon from him. "Here, crack these for me. Make sure t' get no shell in the bowl."

Taking the bowl of eggs, he cocked his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean be careful about crackin'-"

"Not that! I meant about the fighting dragons."

"Oh." She went quiet for a moment, laying the bacon as evenly as possible in the bottom of the pan. "Da's not puttin' me in dragon training." With the pan full, she set it on the grate.

Hiccup cocked his brow as he cracked his first egg. "Gobber, who raised you to fight like all the rest of us, isn't putting you in the arena?" She nodded. "That…doesn't make any sense to me." With his second egg, he got a bit of shell in the bowl and started trying to fish it out with his finger.

She shrugged, taking a large, intact, piece of shell and, swatting his hand away, used it to scoop out the tiny bit of shell. "I'm goin' t' be training under Gothi instead."

"Wait, Gothi? As in Elder Gothi, the Wise Woman of Berk?"

"Pretty sure she's the only Gothi on the island," she replied sarcastically. "But it makes sense, doesn't it? The rest o' the teens are going to be fightin' dragons an' they need _someone _t' bandage them up."

Cracking his third egg, he nodded in agreement. "That is true, but…no offense, but I wouldn't think you'd be the one she chose as her apprentice."

Thora let out a laugh. "That's what I told her, but she said tha' she read the bones an' they said I'd do well. The Wyrds are weird like that." Tearing up pieces of stale bread, she tossed them into the bowl of eggs before grabbing a two-pronged fork to prod at the now-sizzling bacon. Her tail picked up the pitcher and carefully poured a bit of its contents –yak milk- into the bowl of eggs and bread.

Hiccup watched her, intrigued. "At least you're the one who's going to be the healer and not Ruffnut or Astrid," he chuckled. "Ruffnut would watch the person bleed out while Astrid…" a semi-dreamy look came to his features, "well, she's more of the Valkyrie type." He shook his head when Thora lightly nudge him, a grin on her face. His cheeks turning red, he went back to cracking the last egg. "What in Midgard are you making, anyway? Eggs, stale bread, day-old yak milk…? Never seen this combination before."

"Eh…it's one o' the few _good _things da' makes. An' yeah, those two wouldn't make good healers. You an' Fishlegs, on the other hand…"

"I manage to destroy part of the village and you say I'd make a good healer."

"Ah, but it was a _dragon _who did most o' the work. After all, I doubt you can spew liquid fire an' fly through the sky," she chuckled, taking the bowl from him. Using her hand, she started squishing the bread, milk, and eggs together until it formed a sort of strange, chunky custard.

There was a small crash from the other side of the house and the two of them could hear Gobber grumbling and fumbling about.

Thora leaned back and squinted, trying to peer through the darkness towards his room. "Da', you lookin' for your leg again?" she called.

"Yes! Did the elves take it?!"

She rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "No, da', the elves didn't take your leg. Try lookin' _in _your bed covers." As Hiccup pulled the cooked bacon out of the pan, she poured the custard in. The sizzling that arose temporarily drowned out any noise Gobber was making. "He does this _every _mornin'. You'd think he'd learn by now."

"He's a dad," Hiccup laughed. "They don't listen."

Gothi was standing on the doorstep when Thora arrived, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Good morning, child," she whispered, her eyes nearly hidden behind her layers of wrinkles.

"Mornin', Gothi," replied Thora, flashing the elder a nervous smile. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Oh, heavens no. In fact, the water's still steaming." Taking her by the elbow, she led the teen into her home.

"The water's still steaming? What do you-ack!"

With surprising strength and speed, Gothi had spun her around and, using her staff, knocked her helmet off and lifted her bag from her shoulder. Before Thora had time to react, the elder had her stripped of clothing and gave her a shove forward, causing the girl to tumble into a tub of hot water.

Surfacing, she spat some water out of her mouth and gripped the edges of the basin. Gothi chuckled, noticing how closely she resembled a sopping wet rabbit. "What in Midgard are ya doin' t' me?!" she cried, eyes wide and barely visible through her mess of hair.

She heard raspy laughter as Gothi used the end of her staff to lift the curtain of wet hair in front of Thora's face. "The first thing you must know about being a healer is that we must be clean," she explained, grabbing Thora's clothes and dumping them into a second, smaller basin. "The rest of Berk can bathe once a week –or month, in your father's case- but we bathe at _least _every two days. Do you know why this is?"

Thora shook her head. "Other than it keeps dirt out of wounds, no." She began combing her hair with her fingers.

"If we are dirty, infections can run rampant amongst the injured. It's our job to stop them, not spread them." Going over to a low-hanging shelf, she pulled a large jar from the back of it before handing it to Thora. "Did you read much of the book last night?"

"Some," she admitted, her cheeks turning red. "Not much, though. I kind o'…fell asleep." Opening the jar, she curiously sniffed its semi-solid contents before sneezing. "There's a lot o' mint in this…"

Gothi smiled and started to scrub Thora's clothes. "It will help clean your hair much better than normal soap," she explained, "as well as help you smell better. It has a mixture of parsley, mint, and thyme in it."

Taking a handful of the goop out of the jar, Thora raised her brow as she ran a clean finger through it. It was smooth and somewhat oily –nothing like the soap she was used to using. With a small shrug, she started to work the stuff into her hair, having to use a second handful halfway through.

"So what do the parsley an' thyme do?" she asked after a couple of minutes. Letting the stuff sit in her hair for a bit, she worked at scrubbing the dirt and ash on her arms. "Since the mint helps with smell."

Scrubbing at a stubborn stain in Thora's tunic, Gothi glanced up. "The parsley softens the hair, making it easier to brush and less likely to become frizzy," she explained, "while the thyme helps renew the skin. The mint, by the way, also helps to repel fleas and lice."

"Is parsley native t' Berk? Don't think I've heard o' it before."

"No. Trader Johann brings me it from the Main Land. It used to be available on Healer's Island, but it was over-harvested."

She turned, getting a better look at what Gothi was doing. "Why not plant new sprouts on the island?" she suggested. "Surely ya don't use _all _the seeds."

"The seeds aren't used at all," she told her, "as such, my shipments do not contain seeds; they're delivered to me already dried and in their separate parts."

Thora nodded in understanding before dunking her head into the water. It was hard work, rinsing her hair; thanks to her troll blood, it was thicker and longer than most peoples'. She scrubbed her fingers through the locks, hoping she would get the majority of the soap out of her hair in one breath. A few moments later, she brought her head out of the water with a small gasp. Using her tail to help lift the wet locks out of the water, she finished rinsing the last six inches of mane before wringing it out.

Gothi chuckled as she watched the girl struggle with braiding her hair. "So tell me about one of the plants you read about last night," she spoke, wringing out Thora's tunic.

A panicked look came to her face and Thora found herself thankful she had her back to Gothi. "Er…Well…" She started to twist her hair up into a large, heavy bun. "Eh…The laurel leaf is used as an ingredient in cookin', when ya can get it," she hesitantly replied.

"And why is it hard to get?"

"Because it likes warmer places –like Greece an' Rome," she answered, beginning to scrub at her arms.

"Good. What else is it for?"

Scrubbing harder to get the ash from yesterday off her skin, Thora scrunched her nose up in thought. "Uh…hm. Er…Oh, yeah! When ya soak it with a poultice, it's good for treatin' plant rashes!" She then paused, her brow rising. "What's a poultice, though?"

"It is similar to a salve, only it can be put into wounds instead of just on the skin," she described. "There are a couple more things it can be used for. Do you remember those?"

"Ya can use it t' make oil, which in turn can be used in wounds or in combination with other herbs t' ease stiff joints."

Nodding, Gothi now wrung out Thora's trousers and stood up, moving to hang the two garments near her fire to dry. "You did well," she commended, "though, I want you to understand that after today, I will not go as easy on you. Today is just an introduction to things; tomorrow we begin the _real_ work." She offered Thora a towel before going to wash her apron dress.

"I understand," murmured Thora, her cheeks red from both scrubbing and embarrassment.

Gothi glanced over at Thora as she scoured another particularly difficult stain. "That book, by the way," she spoke after many quiet minutes, "has more than just plants in it. It also has all the recipes for the medicines you'll need when you become Berk's wise woman. As for the spells and blessings…" A wry smile came to her wrinkled face as Thora spun around, a confused look on her face.

"Wait, what do ya mean, 'wise woman'? I thought I was just apprenticin' to be a healer!" she gawked. "No one mentioned anythin' 'bout becoming a wise woman!"

"Dear child, what do you think healers are?" Gothi questioned, unable to keep herself from laughing. The sound was more akin to a bad cough, but the amusement could still be heard. "Yes, you'll learn how to use herbs and bandages to heal, but there is so much more to this path than that! Wounds can be both physical and mental.

"When Odin or Freya takes a husband from his wife, you must know how to offer sympathies and assurance." Standing a second time, she moved to hang the apron dress alongside the tunic. "In times of war, it will be you who the chieftain comes to for advice and a sense of calm. Our duty is so much more than mere wound bandaging…" She shook her head and quietly chuckled. "In the days to come, you will find out what I mean."

Taking up the towel, Thora stood and wrapped it around her body. "Are ya _sure _the bones were right about me?" she nervously asked. "Because I'm not sure I'm cut out for this sort o' stuff." Gothi offered her a plain, brown dress to wear for the time being. As she took it, she was promptly thwacked upside the head by the elder's staff. "Ouch!"

"Your lack of confidence could, one day, mean life or death for a person," she warned, a grave expression suddenly appearing on her face. "We'll have to work on that. Now, get dressed and I'll start explaining the different ways that we'll be using these herbs."

* * *

The afternoon found Hiccup wandering through the forest, contemplating some words that had been said to the dragon training class that morning.

_"__Dragons will always, __**always**__ go for the kill,_" Gobber had told them, his voice stern enough to knock the words into even Ruffnut and Tuffnut's thick skulls.

Sliding down a short hill, he let out a sigh as he thought back to that day's class. While it hadn't been the worst thing he's ever gone through, it had certainly been _one _of the worst. As well as he had known Gobber, he hadn't expected him to throw a group of untrained teenagers against a real, unharmed dragon their first day of training.

And yet, that's exactly what the blacksmith had done.

Rubbing his forehead, Hiccup let out another sigh. "Sometimes I really wonder how often Gobber got hit on the head during his life," he muttered under his breath. "The guy can be stranger than Bucket and Mulch…"

He shuddered at the all-too recent memory of being within inches of a Gronckle as it was readying itself to breathe fire. The air around its mouth –and, subsequently, him- were quickly reaching furnace-like temperatures when Gobber hooked the dragon's jaw and yanked it away just as it was about to cover Hiccup in fire. It was strange, though, because the dragon's breath had smelled of fish and yet, it was always sheep and yaks they would take when they attacked Berk…

Ducking under a branch that had smacked into his face the previous day, he circled around a pile of rocks. Lying before him was a mess of scratched earth and the cut remains of his bolas. A thoughtful frown came to his features as he knelt down, picking up one of the rope-bound stones.

"Dragon will always go for the kill," he quietly repeated, "so why didn't you?"

Setting the rock down, he stood up and continued further into the woods. Hopping over a log, he fell a bit further than what he anticipated, but was able to land on his feet. In front of him was a grouping of stones that formed a sort of archway; through it, he could see a body of water and an opposing wall of rocks. His brow rising, he walked towards the opening before noticing shiny, black rocks on the ground.

'Odd,' he thought, crouching down and picking one up. 'Totally smooth and thin—wait, these are dragon scales!'

No sooner had he made the realization than a black mass shot up the wall just in front of him.

He let out a yelp in fear and threw himself backwards, his eyes as wide as shields. Just right of his hiding spot was the Night Fury he had shot down, its wings outstretched as it tried to climb its way out of the cove. Hiccup watched as it started to fall and, in a last-ditch effort, tried digging its claws into earth but it was to no avail; it was just too heavy for the rock to support it.

As the dragon plummeted back into the cove, Hiccup crept forward and watched as it opened its wings and gracefully glided across the pond before landing at the far end of the inlet. Looking around, he found a spot that would grant him a better view and scrambled down towards it as the Night Fury tried to escape once more.

Pulling out his sketchbook and makeshift pencil, Hiccup started to quickly sketch the dragon while it shot blasts of bluish-white fire into the earth. It tried to take to the air again just as he was finishing its tail.

"Why don't you just…fly away?" he muttered under his breath, a curious look on his face. Noticing that the Night Fury's tail only had one 'fin', he smudged out the second one he had drawn before leaning forward in time to watch the dragon land hard on its side, a small dust cloud rising into the air.

Worn out from its failed attempts at flying away, the Night Fury rolled back onto its legs and tucked its wings into its sides before approaching the pond. There were a variety of large fish swimming around under the surface, making its stomach rumble in hunger. Not caring about finesse, it dunked its head into the water, hoping to catch a fish.

A gasp left Hiccup's mouth as his pencil rolled out of his hand; he darted forward to try and catch it, but failed miserably.

The pencil hardly made a sound as it landed on the ground below, but it had been enough to catch the dragon's attention. Its eyes narrow, it spun around and glanced around before spotting the young human on the cliff. Hiccup swallowed hard and shrank back slightly as the beast locked gazes with him.

Oddly, he didn't feel scared.

Cocking its head, the dragon continued to stare at him, an almost curious look on its features as it watched Hiccup. Hiccup tilted his own head, his brows furrowing; this was supposed to be the part where he was attacked and eaten. For the second time, though, this dragon had failed to do so. Why was it acting so differently than the other dragons…?

Finally pulling his gaze away, Hiccup crawled backwards before scurrying back up the way he had come. As intrigued as he was, he knew better than to push his already-limited luck. He was, however, quickly formulating a plan for tomorrow –one that involved a fish and, if he could sneak one away, a shield.

Distant thunder rumbled overhead, startling him. He glanced up through the trees, able to catch a glimpse of patchy blue-grey sky. Knowing it would rain soon, he started to sprint through the forest, not wanting to get caught in one of the downpours.

He almost felt bad about the Night Fury having to spend the night in the rain. But it was a dragon, right? Surely it was used to being outside in bad weather…

By the time he returned to the village, the sky had grown dark and had opened its celestial dams. Even though he had been under the cover of the ancient evergreens, Hiccup had arrived at the Great Hall thoroughly soaked and looking very much like a drowned dog. Sitting at the table nearest to the fire were his classmates, who were receiving a lecture from Gobber.

"Alright," Gobber spoke as he circled around the table, "where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?"

"I mistimed my summersault dive," Astrid replied almost instantly. "It was sloppy; it threw off my reverse tumble."

"Yeah, we noticed," came Ruffnut's quiet, sarcastic reply.

Snotlout, on the other hand, had a different opinion. "No, no!" he chirped. "You were great. That was so…so 'Astrid'!" He wore a stupid grin, despite the disgusted look on Astrid's face.

Gobber shook his head. "She's right," he lightly scolded. "Ya have t' be tough on yourselves." Spotting Hiccup as he picked up an untouched plate of food and a cup of ale, he perked slightly. "Now, where did Hiccup go wrong?" he questioned, hoping the answers would knock some sense into the lad.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut snorted. "Uh, he showed up," Ruffnut delivered as she leaned back, crossing her arms.

"He didn't get eaten!" Tuffnut declared, smirking somewhat menacingly at Hiccup as he sat down at a different table.

The twins were promptly thwacked upside the head by the blacksmith.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "He's never where he should be," she answered.

"Thank you, Astrid! Ya need to live an' breathe this stuff." From under his vest, Gobber pulled out a large, ancient book. "The Dragon Manual," he explained, giving it a small wiggle. "Everything we know 'bout every dragon we know of." He set the book on the table, amidst the teens, as thunder boomed overheard. "Eh...No attacks t'night, so spend the night studyin' up on this stuff, alright?"

Limping away from the table, he made his way across the hall to a smaller, two-person tucked away in the corner of the hall. There he found Thora, her dinner untouched and the candles burning low in their holders. She had her face propped by her hands as she did her best to read and absorb the information in the book before her.

"Love, I think it's time t' give tha' book a break." He sat down across from her, a concerned look on his face as he tugged the tome from her. "You haven't even touched your dinner!" He made sure to mark her page before closing it and scooting it to the far corner of the table.

She glanced over at the plate of untouched chicken and cold beets. "Guess I got a wee bit caught up in the plants….Gothi wants me t' memorize it." Pulling the plate in front of her, she started to eat.

"Well, I'm sure Gothi knows that ya can't memorize an entire book in just two days," he lightly scolded. "I mean, do ya see me tellin' that lot over there t' have everythin' in the dragon manual memorized any time soon?" he questioned, using his thumb to point at the group of teenagers behind him.

Thora leaned over slightly, her brow raised. "Uh, ya mean Hiccup? Because he's the only one over there."

Frowning, Gobber turned around only to let out a curse as he found her words to be true. "Why those hooligans-!" he cried. "I give 'em all the information they need t' be successful dragon hunters an' they just…just leave!?"

"Are you even sure Snotlout an' the twins can read?" Thora snickered. "And Fishlegs has borrowed the book enough times t' have it memorized."

Gobber lightly thumped the table with his hook as he turned back round. "They need t' know this stuff, Thora. Their very lives could depend on it."

Picking up one of the chicken legs, Thora took a large bite out of it. "Strange," she chirped, her mouth full, "Gothi told me the very same thing 'bout this book today."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," he scolded. "An' it's true. These two books have saved Berk's hide more 'n once." As thunder shook the hall for a second time, he frowned when his daughter visibly flinched. "I thought ya said storms didn't scare ya anymore?"

She shrugged and picked a bit of meat from the chicken bone. "They don't. Well, not much, really. I mean, I still feel like Thor's going t' strike me down if I even stick the tip o' my tail outside, but it was mostly just startling." Giving her dad a cheeky grin, she used a small knife to pick up a slice of beet and popped it into her mouth.

Rolling his eyes, he let out a sigh. "Thora, I've told ya a thousand times: Thor is _not _goin' t' strike ya down."

"You don't know that for sure! After all, he has a propensity for y'know –killing trolls."

"You've been around Hiccup too much," he grumbled. "An' you're only _half _troll! Your chances o' meetin' Thor an' gettin' killed by him are quite slim, especially since you don't live in Jötunheim."

Her brow rose, unconvinced by his words. "Da'…_Jötunns_ live in Jötunheim, not trolls."

"You never know!" he told her, standing up. "There could be a couple o' them."

She shook her head. "I doubt it. Ya headin' home?"

He nodded. "Aye. Will I be seein' ya any time soon?"

"I don't know, to be honest. This book is actually kind o' interesting. I'm learnin' what plants I could sneak into Snotlout's bath t' make him all itchy."

Gobber gave her a stern, fatherly look and put his hands on his hips. "Now, Thora, you know full well that if ya did that, he'd be even less inclined t' bathe in a tub an' instead, stand outside in naught but his skin when it rains," he scolded. "_Don't do it._" He started to walk away, heading for the door.

"This comin' from a man scared who's to death t' take a bath once in a while?" she muttered under her breath. Shaking her head, she stabbed another beet and was about to take a bite from it when more thunder shook the hall. The knife fell from her hands, landing with a clatter on the wooden plate before rolling off the table, onto her lap, and then onto the floor. 'Why do you do this, Thor?' she thought with a frown.

Crawling under the table, she stuck her tongue out when she found bits of hay and dirt clinging to her beet. After she wriggled her way back onto the bench, she carefully pulled back the tip of the blade before releasing it. The beet soared through the air before landing with a 'splat' on the hearthstones, where it rolled into the fire. A triumphant grin spread across her lips only to fade as one of her candles burnt out.

'And now these are going out. Wonderful.' Standing up, she stacked her plate atop the book before gathering both in her hands. She started to head closer to the hall's great fire, unaware that she was being carefully watched.

"RAWR!"

Thora let out a loud cry as she threw herself backwards, falling away from the twins who had suddenly jumped in front of her. She landed hard on her tail, cringing as pain shot up appendage as well as filling her hindquarters. Ruffnut and Tuffnut laughter increased when they realized that what had been left of Thora's dinner was now splattered across her face and chest.

"I told you it would work!" Ruffnut grinned, punching Tuffnut's arm. "She was totally clueless!"

"Yeah!" Tuffnut agreed, a matching, crooked smile on his face. "She totally didn't know-OUCH!" He rubbed the spot on his cheek where Thora's dinner plate had smacked into it. Seeing that his sister had doubled over with laughter when he got hit, he kicked her feet out from under her, causing her to fall flat on her face. "Ha-ha!" he sneered.

Standing up, Thora brushed the food from her clothes. "Ugh, ya jerks! Gothi cleaned these for me just this mornin'!"

The twins stopped their fighting and looked at her, puzzled. "Wait, you weren't at dragon training because Gothi was washing your clothes?" Tuffnut questioned. He then started to snicker, paying no attention to his sister, who had plucked up the book and was starting to look through it. "Wow, that's even lamer than Hiccup at dragon training!"

Thora pouted. "It's wasn't _just _that!" she protested. "Gothi's made me her-"

"What's with all these weird plants?" Ruffnut demanded, an extremely confused look on her face as she flipped through the pages. "Mallow…thyme…wormwood!" Her eyes widened and a large smile came to her lips. "There's a wood made out of worms!? Awesome!"

"Hey, let me see!" Tuffnut barked, trying to shove her away when he grabbed the book.

Thora's eyes widened and she darted forward, trying to take it back. "Be careful with that; it's Gothi's!" she snapped.

Ruffnut mockingly stuck out her tongue and held the book above their heads, turning a page. "Dude, this one causes rashes!" she gaped, a mischievous grin on her face.

"_Let me see_!" Tuffnut ordered, his face partially mashed by his sister's elbow as he continued his attempts to get the book. "I want to see the wormy wood and rashy plants!"

Rolling her eyes, Thora knew the only way to get her book back was to use mild violence. Her tail curled around the horn of Tuffnut's helmet before she gave him a brisk shove. Stumbling back, Tuffnut watched as she thwacked his helmet against the back of Ruffnut's helmed head; she dropped the book in surprise as her own helmet flew off her head, allowing Thora to catch the tome.

"As I was _tryin' _t' say," she sighed, tossing Tuffnut his helmet back, "Gothi's made me her apprentice. An' wormwood isn't actually wood: it's an herb."

The twins stared at her, matching quizzical expressions on their faces. "Wait…_you're _learning medicine?" Tuffnut warily questioned after a moment.

"Aye." She did her best to not cringe as thunder rolled; thankfully, the twins didn't notice her slight shudder.

He shrugged. "Oh, that's useful," he commented sarcastically. Then, looking at his sister with a snarky grin, he continued, "Thora learning medicine is about as good as Snotlout flirting with Astrid."

Ruffnut raised her brow. "Actually…" she started to counter, "I'd rather her learn to heal than you. You'd try to poison us all."

Tuffnut frowned. "Would not!" he argued. Crossing his arms, he indignantly turned away from her. "Just you and Snotlout!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, and that's helpful _how_? If you killed me, who'd you have around to tie your vambraces, huh? Mom sure as Ragnarök won't do it anymore." Crossing her own arms, she flicked a lock of hair out of her face. "You really need to learn to tie them on your own. You're fifteen."

His cheeks turned bright red and he pointed an accusing finger at her. "I'll have you know it's really hard for me to tie things with just one hand!" he snapped. "And I would make an _awesome _healer! Thora, gimmie that book; I'll show her!"

Thora quickly took a step back, making sure to keep the book well out of his reach. Thunder boomed yet again and she twitched, but the twins didn't seem to notice. "Er…males actually…aren't allowed t' become healers. At least, not the kind I'm apprenticing t' be," she quickly told the blonde boy.

"What?!" Tuffnut gawked. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "Somethin' 'bout magic being used an' how Eir, Freya, and Frigg aren't fond o' males using their sacred gifts," she explained as Ruffnut snickered.

He rolled his eyes and slumped forward. "Dude. _Not _fair."

"Well, you guys get t' learn how t' fight dragons!" she countered. "I don't. If we're ever attacked, I'm out o' luck!"

"Gobber's your dad," Ruffnut reminded her. "He can just give you private lessons or something."

"Yeah, one-on-one training," Tuffnut agreed.

Her brow rose. "Private lessons? From my da'?" She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Do you _not_ remember weapons trainin' an' how he kept handin' me off t' Uncle Stoick?"

The twins cackled at the memory. "Of course we do!" they chorused.

"Especially that _spectacular _fail when you went to hit Snotlout, but you hammer flew out of your hand," Ruffnut laughed. She lightly punched Tuffnut's shoulder as she continued to giggle. "Hey, Tuffnut –remember how it smacked into your face and you didn't wake up for three hours? Because I sure do. Quietest three hours of my life!"

A bitter look came to Tuffnut's face as he recalled the incident. He turned to Thora, half-glaring at her. "Yeah, I do. I had a killer headache for three days and Gothi wouldn't let me sleep until it went away."

It was Thora's turn to blush and her tail nervously twitched behind her. "It was an _accident_…" she mumbled, glancing away. "If da' had put a lanyard on it, it wouldn't have gone flyin' off like a Valkyrie t' meet the freshly slain-" She let out a small yelp and covered her ears as an exceptionally loud bout of thunder boomed.

The twins looked at the ceiling. "Wonder what's got Thor so mad?" Ruffnut rhetorically inquired.

"Whatever it is, it's making the storm pass kind of fast," Tuffnut spoke. "Sounds like it's passing by real quick."

Thora cocked her brow, though she remained half-hunched over with her hands over her ears. "How can ya tell?" she asked. "It sounds just the same as it did when it first started!"

Tuffnut shook his head. "Dude, when the storm started, the thunder was out over the water," he explained. "A few minutes ago, it was at about the middle of the village. Now it's passing over the Great Hall. It'll be gone by the time another hour's up."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "…Seriously?"

He proudly smirked. "Yeah. Whatever Thor's fighting is running to the north, so he's hurrying after it." He and his sister started to walk off. "Maybe if you paid more attention to Thor like we do, he wouldn't hate you so much, eh?"

Sighing, Thora rolled her eyes. "I doubt that," she muttered, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Da' namin' me after him probably only mad him even more mad…" When she saw that Hiccup still sat near the fire, she went over to his table. "Heya, Hiccup," she spoke, setting her book down.

He looked up startled by her presence. "Oh, hey, Thora," he spoke, a somewhat tired smile on his lips. "What're you still doing here?"

"Waiting out the storm an' supposed t' be doing my reading," she replied. "Ended up having a twenty-minute talk with the twins, though."

Brow rising, Hiccup chuckled. "Really? And you got out of it without any bruises?"

"Surprisingly," she quietly laughed. "They think it's lame that I'm learnin' medicine while the rest o' you get to fight dragons."

"Well, comparing the two lessons, you do seem to have the dull end of the spear," he shrugged. "But if I were in your position, I'd be quite content."

She wiggled a finger. "Ah, but you _wouldn't _be in my position," she explained, "because males aren't allowed t' become healers due to the magic."

His brow rose again and he gazed at her with amusement in his eyes. "Magic? Really?"

"Yeah," she answered, frowning. "What, you don't magic exists?"

"Oh, I do. It's just…magic in healing?" He snickered. "Come on –magic's only used for deciphering the future and finding new spots to dig wells."

She glanced away innocently while muttering just loud enough for him to hear, "Says the one who got lost in the woods searchin' for elves."

"It was not elves!" he pouted. "I was heading to Blackheart Bay to look for havfrues."

"Either way," she laughed, "it exists, whether ya believe it or not." Opening her book, she tried to find the page she had left off on. "Now where did tha' page on…on..." She groaned and let her forehead fall against the paper.

Hiccup snorted. "Forget what page you were on?"

"And what plant I was on…"

Reaching across the table, he lightly patted the back of her head. "At least there's a chance you'll find it again?"

Tilting her head so her chin was now resting the book, she sighed. "I guess. I was learnin' that this plant can be used t' freshen breath as well as be put into poultices t' help heal bruises."

"Well, that should make things easier!" he chirped. "Right?"

"It would…if about five other plants I've read about didn't do that, too." Straightening up, she began to go through the pages, trying to find her lost spot.

He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. "Yeeeaaah, I can see how that's problematic," he murmured. "Maybe it's a sign that you've read too much?" he suggested. "After all, you were in here way before I showed up."

Continuing to go through the pages, she gave him a dry look. "So were the others. In fact, Snotlout was the first one here. Apparently, he wanted to watch as Mulch tried to loosen Bucket's bucket some…"

"That poor guy does need a new bucket…" He looked back down at his own book, deciding to flip back to the beginning. There was only so much he could learn from the nearly-blank pages of the Night fury, after all. "When do you think Trader Johann will come for a visit? He usually has a bucket or two…"

She shrugged, skimming over the description of garlic. "Not for a while. He's normally sailin' around the Roman Empire this time o' year. Aha!" She had turned a dozen or so more pages when she finally found her spot. "Cloves! I was readin' 'bout cloves!"

"Wait, you mean the spice?"

"Aye."

"But…how is that a medicine?"

Thora pointed at the first paragraph on the page. "_'Cloves are perfect for those suffering toothaches, as when chewed, it helps to numb the mouth, freshen the breath, and clean out any wounds suffered inside the mouth,'_" she read aloud. "_'If the mouth is too sore for chewing, administer oil of clove with a bit of vinegar as a mouth rinse._'" She glanced over the rest of the paragraph. "Clove oil is also used a lot t' help clean out wounds, though it apparently stings somethin' awful."

Hiccup stared at her for a moment. "Huh. They got anything in there about how to repel cousins who are a pain in the butt?" he jokingly inquired. "Referring to Snotlout, of course."

She dismissively waved a hand at him. "All you need is some o' Mildew's cabbage," she matter-of-factly told him before giggling as Hiccup cracked up.

"But you could repel half the village with Mildew's cabbage!" he laughed. "Only Odin knows why he keeps growing that stuff!"

Thora appeared a bit guilty. "It's kind o' good when you boil it with some turnips an' a bit o' yak," she sheepishly told him. "Svanhildr made some for me an' da' once. Sure, it didn't smell the best, but it tasted real good. Da' and me were fightin' for the last bits in the pot."

He gave her an incredulous stare. "Wait, someone was actually able to make that stuff taste _good_?"

"Hey –Ylva isn't the only good cook in the village." She looked back down at the pages on cloves, intent on studying at least three more herbs before morning. "How else does Astrid get her energy an' strength? Certainly not by eating the boiled leather an' indigestible clumps o' vegetable matter our da's make."

"Gobber's food is a lot scarier than my dad's food," he protested with a laugh. "At least I can tell my dinner had been a boot at one point!"

Biting her lower lip, Thora did her best to not burst out in a fit of giggles. "At least it was a boot; I think half o' my dinners come from the smelly end o' a sheep. That's what it tastes like, anyway."

Hiccup burst out laughing. "And you would know this _how_? Please, enlighten me!" As Thora started to giggle, he grinned. "Do you just go around, randomly sampling sheep butts or something? I mean, it really explains why some have chunks of wool missing near their tails!"

Thora's attempts to contain her laughter failed and she nearly fell off the bench due to laughing so hard. She suddenly had the feeling she wouldn't be able to study any more that night…


End file.
